The invention relates to balers of large cylindrical bales and, more particularly, to notches in the outside edges of belts of a roll-forming baler adjacent the side walls of the baler for capturing and conveying for release exteriorly of the baler crop material that remains unincorporated into a forming bale.
The baling industry was revolutionized in recent years by the introduction of baling machines that form large cylindrical bales of crop material having a diameter of up to about six feet and a length of up to about five feet. An example of such a baler is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,354. As is typical in such balers, the '354 patent teaches the use of a plurality of endless belts in a transversely spaced relation across the width of the baler to define a bale forming chamber. Crop material picked up by the baler is directed into a starting chamber where the belts assist in initially forming the material into a small diameter cylinder of a width extending between the sidewalls of the baler. As additional crop material is added to the starting bale, the belts continue to roll the added material onto the forming bale and the bale grows into a main baling chamber. Upon completion of a formed bale of the desired diameter, twine and/or a web of sheet or net material is wrapped around the circumferential periphery of the formed bale and it is ejected from the baling chamber.
It is not uncommon for crop material to accumulate forwardly of the baling chamber in a vertical run of the baler belts. The accumulated material can result in the baler belts moving off track and possibly crossing over each other, and increasing the wear experienced by the belts. Additionally, the accumulated crop material can collect to a degree that it obstructs the view of the operator of the baling machine to the operation of certain aspects of the baling machine.